Once Upon A Time
by Redfaerie
Summary: In an attempt to turn Ritsuka against Soubi, Seimei sends him back in time to witness everything that makes the man "filthy". But what happens when Ritsuka isn't disgusted, but rather, sympathetic. When a better understanding leads to unexpected feelings?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone. I know that the last thing I need is yet another fic to get writers block on, but I'm hoping that concentrating on this one for a bit will clear my mind of the others until I can view them clearly... Did that make any sense to anyone? I hope so. Anyways, theres also the fact that this idea has been knocking around in my mind for a while and though new for me, something I'm eager to work on. See, the idea in my mind is so original, so great, that i's going to be really really easy for me to fuck up, and I don't want to do that.**

**Another thing is that, along with being my most serious fic, I'm also very new to the Loveless fandom and I'm finding it a much more difficult fandom to write for, compared to Naruto, Inuyasha, or Greek. I have however written 2 other Loveless fics ; **_Because Crack Just Can't Explain This_**, a crack fic written together with a friend while we were loopy from lack of sleep one night, and **_First Kisses_ **my own little adorable oneshot ( written even later at night and yet somehow not on crack. Amazing really..._. My first real dip into this fandom which, according to my reviews, went very well. I'm hoping that this, my first multi-chapter, Loveless, fanfic, goes just as well if not better. **

**WARNING: WHILE I WILL CHANGE DETAILS AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, SOME THINGS LIKE TIMING OR SUCH WILL HAVE TO BE CHANGED, SUCH AS SOUBI'S AGE IN A FEW PLACES IN THE PAST. I HOPE THIS WILL NOT BOTHER ANYONE. PLEASE ENJOY THE FIC ANYWAY. **

**And now, with that said, let the fic begin..**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Love.

That was the topic of tonight. The one floating around inside Ritsuka's mind as he lay curled in bed, a bundle of blankets over his small form. Beneath them, beneath his clothes, lay bruises and scrapes, along with one hidden under a bandage on his cheek. A testimony of "love" from his mother. At least, that's what she called it, and he couldn't quite disagree. Sure, it hurt, but what love didn't?

At 12 years old, Ritsuka Aoyagi had experience with three types of love. The first was from his mother, the one he associated with shouting and violence. She tied him to a chair to keep him from being taken from her, stabbed him with a fork when she didn't believe him to be "her Ritsuka." It was volatile and confusing, but he was determined to make it work. Determined to believe in it.

The second was from his brother. It was...unusual, but he had the most faith in it. Seimei protected him, took care of him. He was kind, gentle. At least, that's what he had single-mindedly believed. Until he met Soubi.

From Soubi he received the third, and by far the most confusing kind of love. In fact, he didn't really believe it was love at all. How could he when it was just something Seimei had ordered Soubi to do. That was proof of the falsehood if there ever was any. You couldn't order people to feel things, emotions just didn't work like that.

And yet Soubi was persistent. He kissed Ritsuka constantly, holding him gently, wanting nothing more than to be near him. He professed his love relentlessly, swearing to follow the orders he begged him to give.

And then, as if that wasn't confusing enough, he turned right back around chose Seimei over him, ignored his seemingly simple orders. He lied.

And if there was one thing Ritsuka really did understand, as confusing as this whole love business was, was that there was no room for lies among love. And therefore, since Soubi lied, then there couldn't really be love there after all.

But still... sometimes... it really was too easy to forget that. To pretend that maybe he, in his limited knowledge of love, was wrong, and that it really did exist there.

He squeezed his eyes closed at the thought, curling in tighter on himself and willing sleep to come. To sweep him away into temporary oblivion where these frustratingly confusing thoughts would cease to exist. At least for the time being.

Unfortunately for him, sleep didn't come. Rather, a draft of cold air against his back, light yet freezing.

The window.

He strictly remembered closing it before he went to bed, drawing the curtains closed, though the glass remained unlocked. Because for some reason, despite the headaches he gave him, he found himself hesitant to lock Soubi out.

Rolling over, still fully awake, he expected to see Soubi there by the window, smiling over some inconsequential thing and there for some strange reason. The most common was that he "just wanted to see him", though why he could never wait until morning to do so was beyond him.

He groaned as he rubbed at his eyes, sitting up at the edge of the bed, the covers twisted around him, though beginning to fall off the bed. "Soubi, what time do you think it is-"

He stopped short as his eyes opened and registered the sight before him. The man standing there, leaning casually against the wall, his lips curved up into a sly smile.

"Hello Ritsuka."

"Seimei."

His voice was soft, almost disbelieving, his eyes wide. He blinked once, to be sure it wasn't an illusion of some sort, and found it to be quite real. This really was Seimei. He really was here.

He felt his heart quicken in a mix of joy and anxiety. On one hand this was his brother, the one who loved him so dearly. Who had protected him through his childhood. Who'd never been anything but kind and gentle to him...though...

On the other hand, it had only been a few weeks since the scene at Seven Moons. There Seimei had been different, had frightened him. Had said weird things. Had told him strange things about love, things that he found he just couldn't believe. There his brother had seemed more like the person everyone had told him he was. The man who was cold and cruel, who hurt people. Who hurt Soubi.

And it was that one memory of him that held him back, even as Seimei's arms opened in invitation, clearly expecting Ritsuka to run into them. Though his initial instinct was to do just that, he remained on the bed, studying the man before him.

"Seimei", he said after a few moments, his voice still soft, "What is it? What are you doing here?"

He let his arms drop slowly, his eyes narrowing just a bit in consideration. This was different. Clearly not what he'd expected. No, not at all.

"What's wrong Ritsuka?" he replied,his tone light and slightly lilting. "I simply came by to see my younger brother. Aren't you happy to see me?"

Ritsuka swallowed, unsure exactly what to say. He was, despite everything he'd seen, was coming to believe. But yet he couldn't help but feel the way he did when his mother posed those questions as she so often did.

_I'm so happy Ritsuka. Aren't you happy?_

_A child always belongs to his mother Ritsuka. You still need me don't you? Don't you Ritsuka?_

_I love you the most Ritsuka. And you love mother the most right? You do, don't you?_

"I am", he insisted. "I am. But...why here? Now? It's so late and mother-"

"But I don't want to see mother Ritsuka. Just you."

"Oh? But-"

"But you don't feel the same, do you?"

Ritsuka frowned in confusion, the hairs on the back of his neck rising in apprehension. There was something about the words, something hidden in the recesses of that light tone. In the glow of his eyes in the dim light.

"What do you mean? Of course I want to see you! I do!" He was out of the bed now, across the room, his arms thrown around his brother's waist, looking up at him. "I've missed you."

Seimei's hands were gentle as they clasped themselves on his upper arms. Rubbed lightly. But when he spoke, his voice was still the same as before.

"You say that, but I wonder...is it true?"

"True? Of course it's true!"

"You're not lying to me?"

"Of course not! I hate lies!" He paused, drawing back just slightly, nibbling at his lower lip, his eyes wide. Apprehensive. "Seimei what's going on? What's all this about?"

"About? Why, it's about loyalty Ritsuka. Love. And it's about you, that I'm not the one who holds your loyalty. You're undivided love."

There it was again, love, as confusing as ever.

"I do love you!" he cried, trying to pull back but finding himself unable to do so. Seimei's hands were tight around him, tightening just a bit more at his pathetic attempts at a struggle. He stilled, the movement ineffective anyhow, but the urge to retreat was still strong. Whatever was wrong, Seimei was reminding him eerily of how he'd been before, at Seven Moons. Was beginning to scare him again.

"Perhaps", he considered, his voice slow, "But I'm not the only one. I want all of you Ritsuka. To be the sole receiver of your affections. That right is mine and mine alone, and yet it is denied to me."

"What? Am I supposed to only love you? But what about Mother, or-"

He cut himself off suddenly, as if thinking it better to end his speech here, but he hadn't missed it. Nor had he missed the slight blush that dusted the younger boy's cheeks. He knew what the boy was about to say and it annoyed him to no end. Mother could be expected, could be dealt with, he thought, allowing the smile to slide up his face at the memory of her deceit. Of the way she'd thrown herself at Nisei when she believed him to be Seimei. The way she'd taken pill after pill, discussed ridding herself of one son in order to bring one back. Though troublesome, more so than he'd expected when he'd began this all, she could be controlled, dealt with. And Ritsuka never had to know.

_Him_, however, Soubi, would be slightly more difficult, and the fact that he'd even have to deal with him was an annoyance in and of itself. The thought that Ritsuka's affections could be divided from Seimei was practically inconceivable, but for _that_?

No. Soubi had no right to steal what was his. He'd given him strict orders to belong to Ritsuka, for him to love him, but he'd said nothing about allowing reciprocation. He hadn't thought he'd need it. What was there to love about the man? He was nothing but a tool, and not even a shiny new one at that. He was old, dirty. Handy and useful, but nothing precious and certainly nothing worth Ritsuka's precious affection. His love.

He felt his anger rise in his chest, cold as always and simmering, like hot ice. No, Soubi was worthy of none of it and it was time he learned that. Learned his place; That it was beneath him. Not in a sexual way, perish the thought, but in any other way imaginable. That Ritsuka was his, and despite what the blond may have come to believe in his absence, at the end of the day he would have the boy again, and Soubi would be lucky if he still belonged to Seimei as well.

"Ah Ritsuka, I feared it would come to this."

Ritsuka frowned, tried to draw back again, looking up at him confused. Suspicious. Where was the boundless trust from before? Oh yes, Soubi would pay for this loss, and he would pay dearly.

"Come to what? What are you talking about?"

"I saw you", he replied, releasing the boy, his anger rising to a slow boil as he retreated a step. "At the academy, with Soubi. I saw the way he looked at you, and you at him, and I began to wonder about it then. About your relationship. Just how close are you pray tell?"

"Huh?! Wha-"

He didn't bother to hide his scowl at the boy's flustered behavior.

"I see."

"See?-"

"Yes. And I began to wonder if such means would truly be necessary. And I'm beginning to see that they are indeed."

He would get his brother back, he would be his alone, that was a given. But his means of doing so, those had been altered. In the beginning he'd planned to simply fake his own death as a means to claim his rightful fighter unit without dying. He couldn't tell Ritsuka, needed his tears to be real and deep inside part of him had wanted to test him. To see just how much he'd mourn for him, to see the depths of his love.

He hadn't been disappointed.

He'd granted his brother ownership of Soubi so that he'd be protected, and to keep the man from disintegrating, in case he chose to taken him back. It killed two birds with one stone and didn't alter the end result. At least, he hadn't expected it to.

He'd planned to return to his brother after some time, to be forgiven and loved once more. He'd loved him so much, all but worshiped the ground he walked on, surely his joy at finding his brother alive would outweigh any sore feelings. He'd order Soubi to leave Ritsuka and return to him, or perhaps Ritsu or someone, should his own fighter prove stronger, and all would be well.

But things were different now. There would be no simple ordering of Soubi to leave, oh no. That would be too kind and he simply wasn't in the mood. The blond deserved punishment, and Seimei could think of none crueler.

"You aren't making sense Seimei." Ritsuka was standing straight now, his eyes wary, confused. "What are these 'means'? What do they have to do with Soubi? I thought-"

"That's the problem you know." Seimei's voice was suddenly lighter, almost amused. "You think these things, you think you care for him. You think you know him, but you don't. Not really. Whatever affection you feel for him, Ritsuka has been based on the false pretense that he's worthy of such." He was smiling now, a smile that was sly and cold, that had slithered up his face. "I'd hoped to spare you this Ritsuka, but I appear to have no other choice. I find that to restore things to as they should be, I must clear your mind of these misconceptions. And I can think of no better way to do this."

"W-what? What misconceptions? Seimei what are you talking about?! Stop it!"

His eyes were wide now, scared. What was he talking about? He didn't know but it didn't seem like anything good. Misconceptions about Soubi? About how he was unworthy? What was hat supposed to mean? It was true he didn't know much about him at all, but it wasn't like the guy was his lover or anything!

He had no clue what was going on at all, knew nothing, except that his brother was scaring him.

Slowly, mist began to crawl through the window, gather on the floor, circling lazily around Ritsuka's feet. Following him as he jumped, startle into his bed with a small cry.

"S-Seimei, what- what is this? What are you doing?"

"It's alright Ritsuka", he replied, his tone warm, soothing. "It won't hurt you. You said yourself that you want to know everything, that you always want the truth. This will simply reveal it to you."

"But-" He stammered as the mist rose around him, swirling, clouding the room, his vision. "Wha- Seimei!"

"Relax Ritsuka. Relax."

His eyes darted around spasmodically, searching for something, anything that could help. Straining to focus on the quickly vanishing image of his brother. Everything was fading behind the swirling blanket of mist, fuzzing his vision. Clouding his mind. Stilling his thoughts until at last he fell into the inky black of unconsciousness that he'd so desired earlier that night.

~*~*~*~

Seimei smiled as he watched the mist thicken, obstructing his vision, though taking absolutely no notice of him. It was Ritsuka it was aimed at and he was left perfectly alone, perfectly conscious, to watch it clear. Ritsuka lay on the bed, seemingly asleep, though Seimei knew better. More than the strange way he lay, somewhat crumpled, having just fallen there, was the knowledge that this had been his doing. He hadn't, however, done it alone. He did not posses this power.

Arranging his brother in a more natural position, tucking him neatly beneath the covers so that it appeared he'd simply fallen asleep, Seimei walked to the window, looking down at the man who stood below.

He was young and handsome, almost sinfully so, his black hair curling around his collar, his eyes a deep piercing green, but tonight it was hidden beneath a heavy trench coat and a hat tipped down over his chiseled face. His hands were in his pockets, his head tilted down as if his bright red Converse, horribly out of place amongst the rest of him, were suddenly the most fascinating thing around. But he was probably looking up. Seimei felt that he was.

"It worked." he called down to the man.

"You expected it to fail?"

"I'm entitled to my doubts." The confident smile on his face, however, betrayed Seimei's words. As if he'd endanger Ritsuka with a half-baked plan. Of course he'd known it would work. "Explain It to me again. Why nothing had changed."

Though it couldn't be seen, the man frowned, peeved by Seimei's amused tone, the mocking smile. He didn't need a refresher course. No, he understood it perfectly. He just wanted to hear it again, to revel in the brilliance of his own plan. The brilliance of the power the man possessed. Still though, he complied.

"Nothing has changed because nothing will. Though he is in the past for the duration of the spell, once it is broken, he shall be removed and the time stream restored to it's original path. It is because it is destined to return that it shall not change in the first place, and none but him shall remember anything of his journey, though we will remember that he went there."

"Ah" Seimei replied, smiling again, "I'm glad to hear that time will not change as I rather like it here." Or at least he would, when this was all over. As soon as his plan worked. "I'm very grateful for your assistance. Thank you TIMELESS."

There was no reply from the man, TIMELESS, for several moments, until suddenly his head snapped up, his face coming into view. "I must go. She's calling for me."

"Than by all means go. After all, you mustn't keep your sacrifice waiting

"The spell will hold." He tossed over his shoulder in lieu of goodbye, hurrying off into the night, Seimei's patronizing chuckle following him into the dark.

And now we wait, Seimei thought as he turned away, leaning back against the windowsill. He watched Ritsuka as he lay there, unknowingly.

Soubi had been wrong to steal what was his, to steal Ritsuka, and this would be his punishment. Rather than be ordered away he'd be abandoned by the very thing he'd stolen. At this very moment Ritsuka was in the past, witnessing everything that made the older man ugly, filthy and unworthy. And as soon as he did, as soon as he saw the truth about him, than there would be no chance of love of any kind. Soubi was disgusting, and as soon as Ritsuka realized that he'd throw him away in an instant, return to Seimei.

Return to where he belonged.

* * *

**OH MY GOD!!! THERE IS ENTIRELY TOO MUCH SEIMEI IN THIS CHAPTER AND ****I PROMISE YOU THE REAST WILL BE RITSUKA/SOUBI – CENTRIC!!!! UNFORTUNATLY, THINGS NEED TO BE EXPLAINED SO THATS PRETTY MUCH WHAT THIS CHAPTER WAS!!! LET ME KNOW HOW IT IS!!!! I NEED TO KNOW!!! Oh, and Sorry about the whole TIMELESS thing, but seriously, how else was he going to go back in time 4 years? Yep, mini- spoiler right here for those of you who read this :p So go ahead, figure it out, Soubi's age and all that. It will be explained for those lame people who don't read this, but for you nice, lucky, one who do go ahead and speculate. What do you think will happen? Who knows, you might give me some ideas!!!**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF IMAKE THIS BAD BECAUSE SERIOUSLY,TIME TRAVLE IS PRETTY HARD TO WRITE WITHOUT MAKING IT ALL CLICHED AND CHEESY AND CRAP. BUT I'M TRYING VERY HARD TO BE ORIGINAL, WITH AN PRIGINAL PLOT AND EVERYTHING SO FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!**

**Thankies! : ) Redfaerie!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. The last chapter got all of 2 reviews...which is sad compared to my others. I have a one shot with more hits. But who knows, maybe more chapters will help, once I really get into the plot. I have faith in this thing. So, lets find out...**

**Chapter 2**

It was cold. That was the first thought to fully register in his foggy mind. The second that there were voices. He couldn't place them, though they seemed familiar. He thought he knew them, but it was as if they were distorted somewhat, too high, unclear. It was disorienting.

"There's someone here!"

"Who's this?"

"Do you know him?"

"Nope!"

He tried to groan, though he wasn't sure if he had or not, tried to move but didn't think he succeeded. He heard the voices again, heard another join them, but he didn't know what they said. One seemed different, softer, more mature. But he might have been imagining it. Very slowly he spied shadows moving around outside his eyelids, but try as he might they wouldn't open. The people were close though, whoever they were. He felt warm hands on his arm before they started talking again, the mature voice. But the words refused to be clear. He did, however, manage to pick one word out of the lot:

_Sacrifice._

And then the world was black.

~*~*~*~

"What do you mean he's not one of yours?"

"I mean just that. I don't know him."

"But you have to! You _have_ to!"

Ritsuka found he had some slight muscle control. Just enough to squeeze his eyes shut just a little tighter from the voice now shrieking. He recognized it as the more "mature" voice from before, though how he could have ever mistaken it as mature was beyond him. It was high pitched, obviously feminine, and at the moment whiny.

In one word: Annoying.

And he was sure the other man agreed.

"And yet I don't."

She shrieked again, though omitted the words, settling for a high, long, sound of frustration. He wondered if he could pass out again...Which brought to mind, why had he passed out before? He remembered, with a jolt, the incident in his bedroom. Seimei...the smoke...

His stomach lurched at the thought, chilled at the memory of his brother. No, that hadn't been his brother. Not as he liked to remember him. That had been Seimei from Seven Moons. The cold, cruel one that he couldn't recognize. Refused to.

But that didn't change the fact that he was responsible. Him and that mist. Now the only question was...what exactly had it done?

He didn't know, but he was suddenly shaken with the realization that whatever it as had been done to him alone. There was no Seimei. No Soubi...

He groaned as the memories churned his stomach, as the effects began to wear off leaving a dull ache in his head. In his limbs.

God...he felt like shit...

He wanted to keep quiet, to listen in until he had an idea of where he was. Of what was happening to him. He couldn't however, retain the groan that slipped through his lips, attracting the attention of the others.

"He appears to be awake", the man commented, as if bored. He sounded so...familiar. Not horribly so...not someone he'd held multiple conversations with...but there had been some. He'd heard it somewhere before...

"Ah! What should I do?"

"Stop acting like a child."

"Oh shut up!"

Her voice was shrill and he could feel dread adding to his already torturous emotions as she approached, her heels clicking horribly loud against what sounded like a linoleum floor. Or maybe wood. He wasn't sure which. His cover blown, he strained to open his eyes, managing to crack them, only to be struck by a blinding light. He winced, pain exploding in his skull, but forced them to adjust, to move to the right, to where the woman was approaching and gasped.

It was that woman. The one who'd created the Zeros. The one who'd ditched Youji and Natsuo for a time...Nagisa, he thought her name was. Her name, however, wasn't really important. Moving his eyes further, he caught sight of the man.

It was Ritsu.

Soubi's teacher.

The feeling of dread doubled as he realized that somehow, he'd wound up here of all places.

_Seven Moons Academy._

~*~*~*~

"Who are you?" She demanded, standing in front of him, arms crossed. She was in one of those poofy dresses he could remember seeing her in before, under a lab coat, her hair pulled up in rather childish pigtails. He'd always found her odd, for the few seconds he'd thought to think about her, but now that he was studying her he found her even odder. It was as if she was trying to be a dominating baby doll...a combination that didn't entirely work...

But-

He suddenly realized something.

She didn't know him.

He blinked in surprise, before letting his gaze turn wary. Neither of them had recognized him, though he'd been there before. He'd talked to them both online and in real life at least once, and if nothing else had been known as Seimei's brother. As Soubi's sacrifice. He'd be remembered... Unless of course this had something to do with the mist.

Cautious, he wet his lips, before replying simply, "Ritsuka."

"What are you doing here?"

"Ritsuka what?"

He frowned. Did he tell them? Something inside of him was screaming no, and so with no better advice, he obeyed.

"I forgot."

She frowned too, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?"

He blinked, taken aback by her boldness but answered her, albeit slowly. Thoughtfully. "I don't remember."

Her frowned deepened across her childish face. "Well what do you remember?"

He remembered Youji and Natsuo talking about her, about how she'd abandoned them. He remembered the first time he was here and the disasters that occurred. And most vividly, he remembered his brother the night before, the ice in his voice. In his eyes. He'd been different. Scary.

"Some things probably..." He replied slowly, not wanting to divulge his personal information until he was sure of the situation. "I'm not really sure..."

He let his eyes scan the room before drifting over to examine Ritsu. The man seemed as aloof as ever, sitting at the desk looking over a file or something. He tried to pull up all the information he could recall on the man but was met with very few facts : He was Soubi's teacher, a teacher at the academy. He knew of Septimial Moon. Seimei had gouged his eyes out...

Then why were they there? Why were they sitting in his sockets as if they'd never been disrupted.

_Because_ he realized slowly, _they hadn't..._

But what did that mean?

She sighed, obviously frustrated, before turning to Ritsu. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Why ask me?"

"Because! You're the doctor! Get over here and fix his memory!!!"

"Since when am I a doctor?" He asked, sighing deeply before pushing up fro his desk and crossing the floor to Ritsuka. His fingers were cold when he grabbed his chin, turning his head, checking his pupils. He smelled of paper, his tone casual, his touch impersonal. He pulled away.

"He seems fine. It's probably just shock. Give him some time and I'm sure he'll remember everything."

"Great", she spat sarcastically. "That's all you can tell me?"

"No" he replied. "There's more."

"Like?"

That was a very good question and he found himself leaning forwards slightly to listen.

"Like," he began, "That he's a sacrifice."

Ritsuka blinked, taken aback. Was it so obvious? He hadn't even know he was a sacrifice and now it was radiating from him...Or maybe it wasn't...Nagisa hadn't known. Nor had the people with her before. Come to think of it...who were they?

He groaned as his head gave another throb, suddenly wanting nothing more that to sleep. There was just too much going on around him, swirling, dragging him down with it. More than he really wanted to comprehend.

God how he just wanted to sleep.

Nagisa gave another shriek at the news, though this time is was one of surprise and stared at him. "How can you tell?"

"I just know." he replied. "Though it's strange. I can't find a name on him." He turned his attention back to Ritsuka. "How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Hmm." He seemed to consider this before nodding to himself. "Alright. You're a sacrifice, no doubt about it. And you're at the correct age to be acquainted with your fighter. I'm sure your name will appear when you two meet. We'll know it then."

"I know it now."

he paused, tilting his head slightly. "Alright then."

"It's LOVELESS."

"How do you know?" Nagisa demanded yet again, her voice colder than before. "How do we know we can trust him?"

"Why would I lie about that? And even if I did who'd want _that_."

This seemed to make sense to her and so she didn't respond. Or perhaps she would have. He really didn't know. Either way she was interrupted as the door swung open, two small heads poking in.

He couldn't breathe.

They were smaller, and younger, definitely younger, but they were still highly recognizable, and he knew without a doubt that they were the other two voices from before.

_Youji and Natsuo!_

"He's awake!" Natsuo exclaimed, rushing in. He looked to be around 7 or so, his magenta hair curling it's way to hang just a little above his shoulders. He hurried over to the edge of the couch Ritsuka lay on, looking up at him curiously. Without an eye patch.

Youji followed soon after, his hair straight and just to his shoulders. He was standing beside Natsuo as he often did, the two of them a little combined force, his eyes glittering with mischievous curiosity.

It was...strange to say the least...

"Hey you!" Youji poked him in the arm. Frowning, Ritsuka drew it back, confusion and fear waging an inner battle for dominance. Youji didn't seem to care."Who are you?"

Natsuo nodded eagerly. "Yeah, who."

"Are you a fighter?"

"Or a sacrifice?"

"Does this hurt?"

"Wha-?"

"Natsuo!" Nagisa snapped, her voice wavering a little as it hit an octave Ritsuka would have really rather not known it could go. It was borderline painful, his head giving another throb. His face pouty, Natsuo drew back the hand with which he was about to deliver that pinch. "Youji", she continued, her voice dropping back to normal. "What are you two think you're doing here?"

"I wanted to see him", Youji answered, stepping forwards just a bit, his finger pointed at Ritsuka. It was then that he remembered something they'd mentioned before ; Nagisa favorited Youji over Natsuo. "To see if he was alive."

Now the only question was why the hell were they little? Very slowly, however, the pieces were falling into place. He was at – had been sent to- Seven Moons Academy. A place he'd been before. He'd met Ritsu and Nagisa before...and yet they didn't know him. And now this. These kids were without a doubt his friends, even before Nagisa'd yelled their names. But they were younger.

But he wasn't.

But he _was_ in the past.

It was a somewhat startling realization, like being doused with ice water, and for a moment he forgot everything else: The hurt, the confusion, the incessant throbbing in his head.

He was in the past.

But how far back? And why?

Judging from Youji and Natsuo's age, he'd assume it was anywhere from 4 to 6 years, but he couldn't be sure-

"Aaaaaaw..."

He blinked, the small cry drawing him from his thoughts. Blinking, he realized he'd tuned out Nagisa's scolding, been too lost in his thoughts for it to register. Apparently, however, Natsuo had been given the lion's share of the punishment, despite Youji's attempt at taking the blame. He didn't get a chance to find out what it was though, before the two were shuttled out the room.

Before the door closed however, Natsuo sent a glance back and a little wave that Ritsuka felt the insane urge to return. He refrained though, waiting until the door clicked and Nagisa focused her attention back on him.

"So. LOVELESS..." She eyed him curiously. "What should we do with him?"

He blinked, realizing that she was apparently addressing Ritsu, and felt apprehension seep into him. Why he was here at all probably wouldn't matter much, depending on how they decided to deal with him.

Would they hurt him? Would Seimei send him somewhere where he could be hurt? He'd like to think no, but...

_What would happen if I called for Soubi?_

He scowled, forcing the irrelevant thought from his mind. Soubi wasn't here... Was he? Ignoring the flicker of something resembling hope in his chest, he forced himself to watch Ritsu. To wait for the man's answer.

"We allow him to stay."

Nagisa seemed as surprised as Ritsuka himself.

"What?"

"We let him stay," He repeated, his voice calm. "Like I said, it's about time for him to be acquainted with his fighter anyways-"

"But you don't have a LOVELESS fighter!"

"Then he should be showing himself shortly." He wiped his hands on his pants before standing again. "Either way, it's not like we have anywhere else to send him..." He paused, narrowing his eyes at Ritsuka. The boy squirmed just a bit under such scrutiny. "Do we?"

"I-I don't remember." He replied automatically, to which Ritsu nodded.

"I suspected as much. So you see it makes perfect sense for him to stay here."

"Fine", she replied, sounding petulant. Suddenly her lips turned up. "And I know just where he can stay."

"No."

"Yes", she argued, her smile broadening. "It makes sense after all, neither one having a partner. And besides, he's never had to share a room like everyone else. Damn teacher's pet. It's only fair!"

He looked as if he'd like to argue, but surprisingly conceded, though the look he shot her was weird. Her grin faltered just a bit, though Ritsuka had no clue why...

There was something niggling at him, something he knew he was forgetting. Wracking his mind as Ritsu pushed a button – the intercom he discovered- and called someone down into the office, he tried to shake the feeling. But there was something in their words, about whoever was apparently going to become his new roommate. Something familiar. Something he should know.

_He's never had to share a room before like everyone else. Damn teacher's pet._

_Teacher's pet..._

"LOVELESS", Ritsuka snapped out of his thoughts as Ritsu addressed him.

"Um...yes sir?"

"It's been decided that you are to stay here until your fighter has been found. Until then you'll be staying with another student of mine. He's a few years older than you but that shouldn't be a problem. He should be here in a few- Ah, here he is." He announced as a knock sounded. "Come in."

The door opened.

And time stopped.

Not literally, of course, but for Ritsuka it might as well have. Because it was in the few minutes that that person walked through the door, that the final piece fell into place. Why the comment had sounded so familiar.

"LOVELESS. Meet-"

_Soubi._

**WOW!!!I ACTUALLY UPDATED!!! Its so weird.... It's like this fic isn't as popular and therefore not quite as important as the others, so theres less pressure and I can actually write it. Weird. Anyways, IM SORRY IF THIS CHAPTER WAS KIND OF BORING OR OOC BUT SERIOUSLY I'VE NEVER HAD TO WRITE ANYTHING FOR NAGISA OR RITSU!!!**

**Anyways, look forwards to some Ritsuka/Past Soubi interaction in the next chapter. Oh and IMPORTANT!!!! I DON'T HAVE THIS PLANNED SO IF THERES A SCENERIO YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IM TOTALLY OPEN FOR SUGGESTIONS AND YOU WILL GET CREDIT AND EVERYTHING. BUT IM NOT TOTALLY SURE WHGAT TO DO IN BETWEEN THE ****BIG IMPORTAN EVENTS!!!**

**Now, like I was saying before there will be Soubi/Ritsuka interaction, but I'm not sure how I'll do that, because while I have an understanding of current time Soubi, Past Soubi isn't something we have a lot of experience with. WISH ME LUCK!!!**

**___________Redfaerie!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! I'm not dead! Really I'm not! There's just been a TON going on! I managed to grab a breath at Christmas and write an Inuyasha Christmas fic, but everything else has been horribly, horribly neglected. I am trying to rectify that and this seemed like a good place to start. So now, because you've waited long enough:**

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** Chapter 3**

Ritsuka blinked, watching the boy walk across the room. It was so strange to see him there looking so alike and yet, simultaneously, completely different. There were the small differences; He was shorter, thinner in a slightly lanky way, his face somewhat fresher with youth, his eyes... He couldn't quite place the eyes. They weren't the same and yet...

Then there were the big, obvious things that drew his attention; his pale, unmarred throat and, more startlingly, the two golden ears that glimmered atop his head, perfect and beautiful for all their strangeness. They matched the silky tail that flowed gracefully behind him as he went to stand besides Ritsu, his eyes trailing over Ritsuka curiously.

"LOVELESS," Ritsu began, snapping Ritsuka back to the matter at hand. He gestured slightly to where Soubi stood at his left. "Meet Agatsuma Soubi-kun. Soubi, this is Ritsuka. He will be attending the academy as of this Monday."

Soubi tilted his head slightly, confused as to Ritsu's motivation. He'd never cared if Soubi met the new students before, never encouraged any sort of socialization. In fact, through his favoritism, he'd practically done the exact opposite. Soubi had never been sure whether that was intentional or not. It had just been.

And so why, he wondered, was he being introduced to this boy? He didn't seem like anything exceptional. He was cute though, a few inches shorter than himself, with big eyes and hair so black it shone. His ears were twitching around nervously, towards every little sound. He looked like an anxious kitten, liable to run at any moment, and he wondered if Ritsu noticed this too. If so, he gave no indication of it.

"Hello Ritsuka." Soubi replied, smiling, his head tilting a bit to the side, and though his hair only reached his shoulders the fine strands still managed to flow like water with the movement. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, um, it's nice to meet you too", he stammered, blinking himself out of a daze he hadn't been aware he'd been in.

This whole situation was just so unbelievably strange. Sitting on this couch, in this room, in a building he'd been in before. Talking to people he'd spoken to before, talking to _Soubi_. And yet none of them knew him. Because he had yet to ever come here...only he had...

It was enough to make his head hurt, and if his mind wasn't already overwhelmed with the boy before him, than maybe he'd have noticed the dull ache in his skull. But he hadn't. All he could think was that Soubi's voice seemed softer...more...something. What that something was, however, was just one more thing added to the list of things he didn't know.

Pulling him from his swirling thoughts, Ritsu began to speak once more.

"Soubi. It appears my plans for the day have been altered." Ritsu moved as he spoke, walked over to his desk, shuffling through papers and such, his voice filled with authority and yet somehow seeming careless. Soubi didn't move from where he stood, his eyes moving over Ritsuka a bit before following his teacher. Sitting on the couch, Ritsuka took in the strange interaction. "Ritsuka is to be your new roommate" he continued, "Until the time when his own fighter appears. I don't know how long that'll be so I suggest you get along. Anyways, you are to spend the day showing him around."

"But Sensei, does that mean-?"

For the first time since Soubi'd entered the room, Ritsu turned to look at him, and when he did his eyes locked onto his immediately, bright with meaning.

"It means", his voice was purposefully slow. "That there shall be no training today. However, tomorrow, when things have returned to normal", his eyes flickered in Ritsuka's direction, "that training shall resume as well."

For a moment no one spoke, the silence heavy in the room. Shifting in the tension, Ritsuka couldn't help feeling as if he were intruding somehow, seeing something he shouldn't, and for a moment he had the insane urge to close his eyes. To give them some sort of privacy in which to have this seemingly mundane conversation.

And then it was gone, passed with the minutes, and he found himself increasingly glad that he hadn't. Especially considering that whatever Ritsu had said while he;d been out of it, Soubi was now looking at him quite intently, curiously. One of his ears was twitching slightly, drawing attention to the anomaly.

They just...didn't belong...

"Are you ready to go?"

Ritsuka blinked, still unused to this strange voice coming from this strange form of his friend, but nodded anyways. If Soubi found his silence odd he didn't mention it, as Ritsuka got up to follow him. He did however seem surprised that he didn't have any luggage, bags, anything at all to his name. His eyes swam with curiosity again, his ears twitching, but took Ritsuka's silence as a hint and didn't bring it up again instead just assuring him that Ritsu would get him things...probably. Or Nagisa maybe.

Ritsuka wasn't exactly sold on either, but just shrugged, allowing himself to be led down the hall.

It was quiet, he noted. He supposed that the students were probably all in class, though what they learned here was beyond him. Sure, they learned about fighter-sacrifice things, but what about normal school activities? What about math, or literature?

"The dorms are this way." Soubi instructed, looking back at the strange boy behind him. He was small, his head probably reaching Soubi's chin or so, his cat ears and eyes each seeming rather large on his pale face. He wasn't speaking, but his eyes were darting around taking everything in but at the same time not really seeming to see it, and watching him look so small and lost, it was almost as if he seemed infinitely younger. He couldn't be too young though, he remembered. Ritsu had mentioned him waiting for his fighter, so he had to be at least twelve.

Pulling his eyes away, he frowned, struck by an uncomfortably familiar pang of envy.

Even this boy, as small and strange and new as he was, had a fighter of his own. A name, and someone he belonged to. Belonged with. He may be alone now, but he'd find his fighter soon enough and then he'd never have to be alone again. Not ever, for the rest of his life.

Quite unlike himself...

Forcing it down, he forced himself to smile a bit.

"So", he asked to distract himself. "How old are you?"

"What? Oh, um. Twelve. Almost thirteen." His eyes narrowed a little bit, thoughtfully, before... "You?"

Discreetly nibbling on the inside of his lip, Ritsuka waited anxiously for the answer, unable to believe he hadn't thought of it before. He'd realized he was in the past, but had yet to learn just how far back he'd gone. He knew Soubi was twenty however. If he knew his currant age, it'd be easy enough to figure out the year.

Ritsuka was so absorbed in his reasoning that he didn't notice Soubi's eyes widen marginally in surprise. "Fifteen", he replied softly.

So that was is. For whatever reason, Seimei had somehow sent him back five years. He breathed a sigh of relief at having one less question floating through his mind, the only big one remaining being: Why? What did Seimei hope would come of this? What did he want?

The only thing he could imagine was that he wanted him to see something, or do something maybe? Did he want him to affect the time stream?

Ritsuka gasped as the thought struck him. Was this affecting time itself? Had he already drastically altered the future? And if so, was there anything he could do to make it right?

Was there anything he could do to keep it the same?

Was there anything he could do at all?

"Are you alright?"

Blinking his large eyes, Ritsuka found Soubi looking back at him, a strange look on his face.

"You're making faces." he pointed out, tilting his head again. "is something wrong Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka could do nothing but blink in response, looking up at the boy as the words struck him. Words so familiar to him by now, words Soubi had said so many times, and while the voice was off the infliction remained the same. And to hear them from this boy in front of him, the boy so similar and yet startlingly different from the man he knew...

It was as if suddenly something in his brain had clicked, found some magical way to lock together and like puzzle pieces, when connected, revealed a picture. The truth. And for the first time he seemed to really realize the gravity of the situation.

This was Soubi.

His Soubi.

The same Soubi he'd spent so much time with. That hugged him and kissed him and confused him beyond belief. And who he'd sometimes, at night, pretend actually loved him.

The one who'd lie and keep secrets and never talk about his past. And yet...

And yet here he was, plopped down directly in the middle of that past he hid so adamantly, staring at the part of himself that Soubi had never shared. He had an all access pass to everything he'd ever wanted to know about the man, everything he'd kept a secret, and what's more he could get it first hand.

It was a startling realization that left him somewhat shaken, but somehow he managed to nod.

"Yeah, yeah I'm alright."

"Alright then." Soubi didn't sound entirely convinced, but yet again this small detail went right over the younger boy's head. "This is the room."

They were standing at the end of a long hallway, in front of a rather ordinary looking door. Opening it, Soubi gestured for him to enter, and doing so he was struck by it's... normalcy.

He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting from this room, but certainly not this. It was like a hotel room. Standing in the doorway there was a large window on the wall in front of him, open and gazing out across the campus. They were apparently on the second floor, though Ritsuka couldn't remember climbing any stairs, something he regretted. He shouldn't have zoned out; How on Earth was he going to find his way back?

Brushing the thought off for now, he continued to look around. Two his left were two full size beds, each neatly made and separated only by the nightstand that lay between them. Their headboards were against the far left wall, their feet facing out towards the center of the room. To the right was a desk, with a computer, and bookcase on one side of the wall, a fridge and pantry. There was a chair near the center of the wall, lined up almost exactly with the nightstand, that seemed to divide the room in two.

It was positively...ordinary. Except...

"Why are there two beds?" he blurted, regretting the words the second he said them. Closing the door behind him, he watched as Soubi's mouth twitched up, his eyes crinkling a bit.

"You were expecting to share? Already?"

"N-no!" He snapped, his face heating up in a way that really was quite adorable. "It's just that Ritsu said you'd never had a roommate before so why..."

His words trailed off in his flurry of embarrassment, ears drooping, and Soubi found himself almost wanting to laugh. He probably would have if not for the question at hand. For it's answer...

"They don't make single rooms", he replied, heading towards the fridge. "Pairs stay together. Always. I just....don't have a pair. A sacrifice that is." Popping open a can of soda he was almost proud of himself for his tone. He sounded absolutely unbothered by the whole thing, and Ritsuka was sure to believe that that was the case. "Would you like a soda? I've got orange and strawberry..."

As Soubi began to list soda's Ritsuka frowned. It was subtle, but it was a distraction, he knew. A dismissal from the topic. Something imperceptible to most but that Ritsuka had learned in his time spent with Soubi. It was a strategy the boy hadn't grown out of at that Ritsuka had become quite familiar with.

That being said, he could almost hit himself for forgetting. He knew that Soubi didn't have a sacrifice, knew that Soubi was blank, and didn't know how that fact could have slipped his mind. It was that fact alone that allowed future Soubi to be with him at all...

He also noticed how Soubi hadn't felt the need to offer that information. Choosing not to pry, he shook his head.

"No thanks." Yawning he motioned towards the beds. "Which one is yours?"

"That one", he replied, leaning against the small, two person table that sat off center in the room, in front of the fridge. It formed something like a little kitchen area, with a small microwave on the wall between the fridge and the pantry, hovering above two smalls squares of cabinet space. There was a sink embedded in the cabinet closest to the fridge.

Soubi pointed to the bed closest to the door.

Nodding his thanks, Ritsuka looked around a bit more, finding one more door. The bed that was now Ritsuka's was next to a small wall that only came out a little farther than the bed itself. The back wall with the window was set further inwards and there was a wall connecting the two. That was where the other door lay, which Soubi informed him was the bathroom as he entered it, searching around to see if there was a spare toothbrush lying around.

While he searched Ritsuka allowed himself to fall onto the perfectly made bed. It was cool and soft, feeling very much like a hotel bed, and after uncovering one of the pillows her curled himself around it. Lying there, listening to the rummaging through the wall, lost not only in a strange place but a strange time, he couldn't help feeling very, very small. Small, overwhelmed, and tired.

Yawning, he squeezed the pillow tighter, closing his eyes and pressing them into the pillow. Torn between the wish to stay and the desire to return home, he drifted off to sleep.

Which was exactly how Soubi found him when he emerged. He'd been telling him that he hadn't found anything, half way through the sentence, but stopped when he saw him.

It was such an odd sight to see anyone else in this room. He didn't have friends to come over, had been all but alienated by now. He had classmates, but they were so different from him. All paired off. The only person he really had was Ritsu, but that was nowhere near the same. Ritsu wasn't someone he could talk to about trivial things, or laugh and joke with, or tell his secrets to. He was just his teacher, part parental figure. And even Ritsu had only ever been in here a handful of times over the years.

Frowning, he watched the boy sleep. He was by no means relaxed, his eyebrows bunched slightly, ears and tail twitching, arms gripping the pillow like a lifeline. He was younger then him but...not so much. Just three years really. Looking down at him, that seemed so hard to believe.

Had he ever done that, he wondered? Held onto something like that, seeking comfort? He supposed he must have tried it at some point, but couldn't remember.

Shifting, the boy snuggled deeper into the pillow, mumbling, and while it sounded like a bunch of nonsense, he could make out the words, 'No more toast.'

Blinking, he found himself chuckling before he could stop himself. Shaking his head, he found himself walking to the small closet, pulling a blanket from the top shelf. Ritsuka was sleeping on the bed's, but there were others. Covering him, he couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow and wonder. Just what would it be like to live with someone?

What would it be like to have a roommate, if only for a little while?

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**OMG! I ACTUALLY WROTE ANOTHER CHAPTER! I was having writer's block so bad, so I'm sorry if the beginning is a little rough. Also, if the description of the room is kind of monotonous. But I think I'm finally getting a handle on Soubi. Young Soubi :) I hope I didn't do too bad a job! ALSO! CHECK THIS OUT:**

**TO IMAGINE WHAT THE DORM ROOM LOOKS LIKE, IMAGINE THE STATE OF UTAH AND TURN IT ON IT'S SIDE SO THAT THE BOTTOM OF THE STATE IS ON THE RIGHT. THE INDENTATION SHOULD BE IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER. I WOULD PUT A LINK, BUT STUPID FANFICTION WON'T LET ME. ANYWAYS, GO AHEAD AND GOOGLE IT. **

**I HOPE THIS HELPS!  
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**THANKS FOR READING! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT! AND REMEMBER, FEEL FREE TO SUGGEST SMALLER THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN IN BETWEEN THE BIGGER SCENES THAT I HAVE PLANNED OUT!!!!!  
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**Much love!**

**_____Redfaerie**


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